FAQs about Songcards

Read some frequently asked questions from our community

Artists in the Discord Server have been diving into the FAQ channel and posting their questions.

So I thought to share some of them with you here.

Q: What's the minimum requirements for creating a Songcard?

A: The minimum is 1 song and 1 piece of artwork. On top of that, artists can pack their Songcard full of any extra material their heart's desire. This content will be available to collectors who own the Songcard.

Q: So when a transaction is made, how much of a cut do you take?

A: I’m modelling platforms like Bandcamp. We keep 10% of what we get from Stripe, Apple, or Google then distribute the rest to artists based on sales. Keep in mind that each of those platforms have their own fees.

Sales made on the web platform will generally return more. I expect this to be the primary source of sales as it’s generally the first point of discovery. This is partly by design but also the shareability of web links.

Sales made on the mobile apps are subject to Apple’s / Google’s fees. This is usually as high as 30% of the sale price, so we charge the user a little more there. Currently we are on Apple’s small business program which reduces their fee to 15%. We’re currently in the process of applying the Google’s equivalent.

Q: Can a Songcard be edited once it's gone live?

A: As a rule, the song and the artwork can't change after it has been published, but the extra content one offers to those who hold the Songcard can be updated. Songcards can be deleted and unlisted too, so no-one should worry that it's up permanently. Only those who collect the songcard would still be able to access content.

Q: How do I get paid once a collector purchases one of my Songcards?
Do I need a Stripe account?

A: Songcards collects payments from the payment providers including Stripe for web transactions and Google and Apple for in-app purchases. At this stage we can be flexible as to how we send payments to artists, whether that be Stripe, Paypal, BACS etc. In the future we will likely decide on a standard way to do this.

I am currently developing Songcards for Artists where artists can manage their profiles, upload their music, create their songcards, see who’s collecting their music, and view revenue reports. This is in closed beta being tested by artists on the platform. Expect to be invited when you submit your first songcard.

Q: How do I create an artist account?

A: When you submit your first songcard, it gets reviewed, and when approved we notify you by email and your artist account is created at this point.

From there I will invite you to the artist portal where you can manage your cards, profile, and track sales.

Q: Other than the one audio file and one piece of artwork, what else can be included in a Songcard?

A: Pretty much anything digital for now!

Could be exclusive videos, mixes, photos, anything. It’s really cool hearing what ideas artists on the beta come up with, someone even included a game! Others have bundled lyric sheets, BTS content, and desktop wallpapers.

Q: Are songcards NFTs?

A: They are not. I’ve thought about it, and the concept lends itself to that. But not implemented a blockchain or crypto element.

I do like the idea of songcards living off-platform one day. But I don’t think crypto is the only way to accomplish that.

Q: Is Songcards a Bandcamp alternative?

I am a huge fan of Bandcamp and there’s no doubt that Songcards is inspired by it.

Songcards doesn’t intend to be a like-for-like alternative to Bandcamp, but it does aim to provide a new way to buy and sell digital music.

Bandcamp offers music in the conventional mediums of singles, EPs, and albums. Whereas a songcard is a slightly different format. Think of it as a deluxe single.

If you would like to keep up to date with FAQs, post any questions of your own, or get involved in the community, feel free to join the Discord Server.